December 28, 1903: Lucky Find Saves Life of Mahlon Wise

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

December 28, 1903: Mahlon Wise has been found lying in a snow bank, blue in the face and almost dead from exposure by Washington Leidy from Swamp. He was doubled up, seemingly to protect himself from the cold, his hands and feet badly frozen and other parts of his body suffering from frostbite.

Leidy was horrified to find someone in such an alarming state and immediately sought help, summoning neighbors who hurried to the unconscious man and helped get him into Leidy’s wagon and take hm to the closest farm house.

Had it not been for the timely discover and the prompt measures, taken, Wise would surely have died. He regained consciousness, suffering intense pain. Rubbing his hands and feet caused agony, but he was deeply grateful to Leidy and the others for saving his life.

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